


Staying Hopeful

by ImagiNomi (Phoenix_Down)



Series: Coincidence and Fate [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Companion Piece, Cor likes to collect souvinirs, F/M, Ignis is still figuring out love, Lara just wants to help out, Then Sequel, basically everyone - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-13
Updated: 2017-10-13
Packaged: 2019-01-16 20:43:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12350325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phoenix_Down/pseuds/ImagiNomi
Summary: Companion Piece to Of Secrets, Lies and Coffee, set before during and then after the main fic. With backstories, expansions and answers to questions, you might not have had.First Chapter: Most people come back from trips with snow globes, magnets or even Cactuar figurines. Cor Leonis, much to the amusement of his friends, tended to bring back things that were a little more unorthodox.





	Staying Hopeful

**Author's Note:**

> You might want to read Of Secrets, Lies and Coffee first for this to make sense.
> 
> [Linked Here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11819688/chapters/26669781)
> 
> Or if your just here because this sounds intriguing and it's Cor and a borderline Papa!Cor fic then enjoy!

"Most people come back from a trip with snow globes, magnets or even Cactuar figurines. You come back with a crush on the daughter of a highly esteemed political figure, who also just happened to have stowed away on my boat." Regis wasn't angry no matter how serious he sounded. Instead, his eyes danced with mirth and entertainment as the youngest member of his retinue squirmed under the interrogation he was getting. "Did you assist in bringing her to Lucis?"

Cor shook his head vigorously, the beret perched on his head threatened to fall off. "No, I was as surprised as you were." Regis just hummed undecidedly. Footsteps crunched up the gravel path that led to the lighthouse and both of them looked at the new arrival. Regis couldn't help but notice Cor's eyes light up at the thought of being his crush. It was Clarus, and Cor's smitten look turned to one of disappointment as he lowered his head with the arrival of the Shield. Regis swallowed a chuckle. To be fifteen and in love.

"She's fine, a bit seasick but that's understandable considering she spent the entire journey in the boot of the Regalia," Clarus said upon arriving at the base of the beacon. "Cid's got her sipping on some water, but she seems eager to get away."

"Probably doesn't want to give us chance to encourage her to go home. With the fall of our forces and with my father pulling back the wall, Lucis isn't the best place for her to be right now."

"We've already, inadvertently, snuck her into Lucis. Surely we could sneak her into Insomnia."

Regis noticed Cor perking up at Clarus suggestion.

"I think it would help if we knew what she wanted to gain from her running away. Has she mentioned anything to either of you?" both his bodyguards shook their heads at his question and he frowned. Not for the first time did he fell a little lost without someone to steer or advise him. His own adviser back at the Citadel, Weskham the dutiful steward he was, still in Altissa. At the moment is small travelling party was all brawn. "Let us retire to the house, I'm sure we'll be able to whip up something suitably editable that isn't a cup noodle," he added in answer to Clarus unspoken question. What his shield saw in the cardboard-tasting noddle cups he didn't know. "We can discuss Dahlia's predicament, with her, over dinner." Without waiting for an answer Regis started walking down the path, knowing that neither Cor nor Clarus would let him out of their sights for too long.

~*~

They were all waiting for him; Clarus, Regis even King Mors had braved the elements to welcome him back. Whether or not the rain was a sign of things to come, Cor didn't know. What he did know was that Clarus looked to have a few choice words from him, but Regis, eyes ever gleaming with mirth was holding him back.

Clarus had every right to be angry at him, his words echoed in his mind throughout the whole ordeal.  'Do you dare risk all for nought in return?' The trials, the sense to prove himself had almost killed him. He'd wound up beaten, bruised, broken in the Lestallum Medical Clinic, where, of all the people in Eos, in Lucis, even in Lestallum the one to have nursed him back together was one of the people he was trying to prove his worth to. Dahlia.

He shuffled forward, still stiff, still sore but very much ave. He was leaning heavily on Dahlia but Clarus soon stepped forward to assist him allowing Dahlia to hand his pack over to a waiting Citadel Medic, she also reeled off a list of medical terms that made Cor burst with pride.

"Still haven't told her yet then?" Clarus hummed as he helped him into the back seat of the Regalia.

"Encase you haven't noticed I've been rather busy," Cor huffed, wincing a little as he sat down.

"Busy collecting more souvenirs,"  Regis said from the front seat. He spun round to consider his friend carefully. "Those scars aren't what most people would consider as a souvenir either, however, your return to us is much appreciated."

"Believe me, the feeling is most definitely mutual," Cor replied as Clarus joined Regis in the front, allowing Cor the spacious back. The King and the handful of guards and medics he'd brought with him all bundled into another car. Cor turned slightly, head resting against the cool glass of the window. Dahlia was getting back into the car she'd borrowed from a hunter in order to bring Cor to the Crown City Checkpoint. He didn't blame her in the slightest, the rain coming down even harder and she had a long journey to make before night fell, he just wished he could say bye.

~*~

"A reconnaissance mission," they'd said.

"In and out," they'd said.

"A chance to forget the fact that you told the woman of your dreams that you loved her and she left you," Clarus had said.

"Bring us back a souvenir we can keep," Regis had said.

Cor looked down at the sleeping toddler in his arms and sighed, in all fairness he'd succeeded in following all his orders, just not in the way they were intended.

He'd scouted out the Magitek Production Facility, grabbed a few reports, tried to figure out what the hell they were doing there. Then he'd seen the child; sad, alone, lost, hungry and slightly adorable. It had been the blonde hair and blue eyes, and he had reminded him of Dahlia. The woman he'd, after ten years, finally expressed his feelings to, only to have her leave him and return to Accordo. If it weren't for the fact that he was in Niflheim right now, then he would have thought the baby was hers. No, he took a close look at the toddler, there were too many freckles, the skin was a little red around the eyes and he had a weird mark on his arm. This was not Dahlia's son. He glanced up at the door to the Citadel Medical Wing, where he knew for a fact Regis and Clarus would be waiting for him. This was also not the type of souvenir they had in mind when they sent him into the snowy mountain ranges of Niflheim, in the middle of winter. Some 26th birthday that turned out to be...

"I asked for a souvenir we could keep," Regis said with a grin, once Cor had finally opened the door and allowed his two friends to see what he'd brought home with him.

"You can keep it," Cor whispered arguably as the medics fluttered around him and plucked the sleeping child out of his hands. Clarus looked livid, Regis, amused.

"I have a child thank you and he's already a handful," Regis said calmly, flicking away a piece of green baby food that had gotten stuck to his shoulder. "Green beans," he commented with a scowl.

"I have one too, although mine eats his vegetables," Clarus added with a slight jab in Regis direction.

"I suppose the question is simple. Is it Dahlia's?" Regis asked as the medics whispered something and gathered more data.

"What?!" Cor's voice rose with his surprise causing the medics to glare at him. The toddler stirred but didn't wake. He should have known they would have jumped to that conclusion.  "Just because he has blonde hair, doesn't make him Dahlia's. I was gone for 4 months, and you of all people should know it takes a lot longer than that to make a kid."

"Well, the making part is pretty fast…" Clarus muttered. "It just takes a while to cook…" Regis guffawed which earned another set of glares from the medics. Ones that were replaced with apologetic glances once they'd realised who they glared at. "Look, there are many ways to get to Niflheim, one of which is getting a ferry from Altissia. What's to say you didn't stop by, we don't know what happened between the two of you, she left almost two years ago right? So you could just be hiding some juicy details you didn't tell us, and then went to go check on her and brought the kid home. The timings fit…" He turned to the medics at this point. "How old is the kid?"

"16 months," came the reply. "At least if this paperwork is to be believed." The medic held up the stack of papers that they'd found in Cor's bag.

"Times work out," Clarus repeated, eyebrows raised.

Cor sighed. "He's not Dahlia's. I didn't even see Dahlia, you asked me to infiltrate a Magitek Infantry Facility, I did just that."

"So you found an infant in an Infantry Facility? Someone needs to teach those Niffs the difference between those two words." Regis glanced down at the tiny toddler, eyes gravitating to the mark on his tiny wrist. "What's with the barcode?"

"As far as we can determine, it's an identifier. He's probably one of many," the medic handed the file to Clarus.

"A clone?" Clarus asked flicking through the document, the medic nodded. "Why are they creating clones?"

"The report didn't say, it's a very basic report. It highlights only this specific clone, it's more of a personal medical report than an instruction guide."

Cor frowned, he had left in rather a hurry. He should have at least scouted for more information. "I could go back…" he started.

"And bring back more kids? I think not, Cor. You've done what you could, you gathered some information and whilst we have more questions than answers you did what you could."

"You even brought back a souvenir," Clarus grinned his earlier anger forgotten as the father in him glanced down at the blonde haired boy.

"We need to have a serious talk about what we mean when we say we want souvenirs old friend," Regis said slapping Cor on the back as he too went to glance down at the boy.

~*~

"You need to stop coming home with souvenirs, old friend." It was Clarus this time who slapped him on the back.

"People will think you're going soft," Regis agreed, looking down at the figure on the bed. A young girl, the same age as his own son. It tugged at his heartstrings. Their jokes were in teasing in nature but both of them would have done the same thing.

"Next time bring us a snow glow," Regis joked.

"Or a Cactuar statue!" Clarus added, leaving Cor to scowl at his friends.

"So where did you find this one?" Regis asked all joking aside. "Instead of the Infantry Base we asked you to infiltrate was it a Teentry base?" Okay so maybe not all jokes.

"That was bad, even for you," Clarus commented despite chuckling at the awful pun.

"You think my puns are bad, have you listened to young Ignis? That kid is sharp as a tack and his puns pack a punch. His uncle swears he has no idea where he got it from." Cor just glared at them both, he sat down in one of the chairs set aside for visitors and pointedly looked at the other two to hint that they should do the same.

Regis eased into one, rubbing his knee as he went. "Alright, in all seriousness. Where did you find this one?"

"Old Lestallum, I was investigating reports of activity inside Fort Vaullerey, found this one trying to escape from three Magitek Troopers."

This caught their attention as both Clarus and Regis looked at him, their eyes wide.

"What was she doing there?"

"Hunting apparently."

"She's what? nine, ten?"

"Eleven…"

"You kidnapped her," Clarus said suddenly looking between Cor and the girl lying asleep in the bed.

"No - I'm relocating her,"

"Cor, you brought her here against her will, that's called kidnapping."

"She doesn't have any parents. When she said she was hunting I called up a contact of mine. He said that her mother died two years ago and she'd been living with him and his mother whilst they figured out what to do with her. The fact that I came along, gave the perfect opportunity to provide a better life for her."

"Did she have a say in the matter - it's still technically kidnapping…"

"She spoke on the phone to my contact, there was an argument, some tears but she conceded defeat. I didn't kidnap her," Cor finished defiantly.

Clarus scowled, Regis smiled.

"You wear your heart on your sleeve Cor," Regis said still smiling. "I'll call the Refugee Liaison and see if we can't set something up for. Then we're going to sit down and explain exactly what we mean when we say we want souvenirs.

**Author's Note:**

> Author Notes get located in my Tumblr because sometimes I can ramble on and the notes because longer than my chapters.
> 
>  
> 
> [Click here if interested](http://imaginomi.tumblr.com/)


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